I love this wedding for several reasons. First, it made me a little homesick for Seattle. I moved a few years ago, and it perfectly captures the mood of downtown. Second, the bride and bridesmaid put together some of the cutest and craftiest DIY details I've seen in a long time.

And lastly, it was all captured by Powers Photography, who are some of the coolest people I know. Enjoy!

I'd love to hear about your vision for the day and any DIY details.

Our vision of the day was to have it truly reflect who Dave and I are to all our close friend and family there. We wanted it to be intimate and more informal, highlighting our love for burlap, lace, polka dots, maps, bow ties, birds, books and our city life in Seattle. We had our very favorite ice cream at the wedding, Molly Moons, where we celebrated our first Valentine’s Day in the city. The men in attendance were also asked to wear a bow tie since this is a McAndrew tradition. We were shocked how many people went out of their way to do this and brought some great style!

We wanted to keep to a budget, so for our wedding decorations we tried to think outside the box and the girls and I had many craft nights! We made burlap banners, lace runners, a DIY map highlighting where we live, the place we were engaged along with the wedding venue. There were chalkboard and old windows frames all over, highlighting the wine selection, cake flavors, family wedding pictures, our logo and Instagram information. We also made our own wine for favors. Other small details included stamped napkins, lip gloss in the ladies room marked 'hello gorgeous' or 'pretty lady', Vermont mints by the bar representing where Dave went to school, antique blue Mason jars from my grandparent's house and homemade cotton candy for favors as a reminder of the nostalgic country fair I would regularly attend every year growing up.

Did your wedding location hold a specific significance to you?

We hadn't been to the venue before, but we knew the ideal location was close to downtown, where we lived and had created a life in Seattle. We are from Illinois and Pennsylvania, so we were excited to show friends and family around the city where we came together and now call home. After only looking at a few venues, I walked into Sodo Park and was taken aback by the raw beauty of the venue. Without having much decoration, it was a stunning 100 year-old building that had so much character and charm.

What was the most meaningful part of your day?

One of the most memorable moments was right after the ceremony when Dave and I were alone for the first time all day, now husband and wife. We both had a good cry and just sat in silence with pure happiness and overwhelming feelings of joy. The entire ceremony was also extremely special since it did not contain many traditions, but scriptures, music and core values we believe in. My dad also walked me down the aisle after having a stroke earlier in the year, originally leaving him unable to walk. After much hard work and determination in rehab, he was able to walk his only daughter down the aisle. It was a proud moment for both of us. Life is a gift and having him by my side that day was a true blessing.

Did anything funny or out of the ordinary happen?

We were so caught up in everything happening that day, we completely forgot all of our vendor payment envelopes at home and it suddenly occurred to me out of nowhere when we sat down and were eating dinner at our sweetheart table. No one had mentioned it to us, but obviously we were a bit embarrassed to forget this important item! Shortly after Dave handed me a phone, our day of coordinator's husband was at our house looking for the envelopes. I had no idea he had left the wedding to do this for us! It was such a nice act of kindness. It felt like the whole wedding really came together with our "entire village" of friends and family that week. We were so grateful for all the love and support!

Tell us details of the events surrounding the wedding as well.

We had an entire weekend of activities since over 80% of our guests were from out of town. It made us feel that we did get more quality time with our guests since we could see them at various events leading up to the wedding. We got married on a Sunday so on Friday the activities kicked off with a bonfire at sunset at Ballard Locks. A few showed up when it first started, but by the end of the night we had well over 50 of our guests in attendance! The next day, Dave had a men's breakfast and I had a wisdom shower where close friends and family literally "showered" us with wisdom, support and affirmation. It really emphasized the meaning around the whole weekend and it's something we will both remember and keep as a dear memory.

How did you know your partner was "the one"?

I'm not sure if there was an exact moment I realized Dave was the one, but I did know that every day I knew him my feelings grew stronger along with my respect for him. We met in a whirlwind 24 hours as I was moving across country, and kept in touch ever since (despite Dave not believing in long distance)! Dave has a wonderful way about him. He's smart, yet humble, thoughtful and kind, and the most adventurous person I know.

Any advice you'd give new brides who are just getting started?

Even though it can be stressful, try to enjoy the moments of planning and bonding together as an engaged couple. Create a vision for what you want and spend your budget on those top priorities. We didn't care as much about linens and napkins, so we bought $4 napkins from Ikea and ordered table linens on Amazon. By adding details, like white lace, twine, and stamps, it looked great! Embrace the moments that don't go exactly as planned with a sense of humor. It will all go by too quickly!